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While Iím no expert, Iím pretty sure the first rule of being an undercover federal agent is: donít loudly and publicly announce you are an undercover federal agent.

But apparently even that baseline level of discretion is no match for the indignity of a $10 commuter rail fare. Reddit user icu_ posted this video of a man who allegedly angrily claimed to be a U.S. Secret Service agent - in the midst of an investigation! - when asked for his ticket by an MBTA conductor.

The video starts in the middle of the confrontation, with the passenger in question demanding the conductor ďrun [his] license.Ē

ďYou donít mess with Secret Service, Iíll tell you that right now. I donít care who you are. Youíre just a conductor on a train, alright? Donít interrupt my investigation, alright, tough guy? What do you work for, Al-Qaeda?Ē

ď[The] guy went on and on the whole ride in the back of the car,Ē icu_ wrote on Reddit. ďI wonder if this usually works for him.Ē

Impersonating a federal officer is a felony with maximum punishments of up to a $1,000 fine and three years in prison.

A message to the MBTA Transit Police seeking comment on the incident was not immediately returned. We'll update the story with more information when it becomes available.

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